


Ticklish Retribution

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Light Bondage, M/M, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25303102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Sokka gets himself stuck in the forest. Zuko sees an opportunity for revenge.Direct sequel toTicklish Observations.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 135
Collections: Anonymous





	Ticklish Retribution

“Zuko, buddy... You wouldn’t leave me hanging, right?” Sokka’s voice trembled just a bit. Whipping out his best impression of a polar pup, he widened his eyes pleadingly.

Zuko stared back in utter disbelief, trying to make sense of the sight in front of him. Then he sighed, stepping closer.

“Let me see what I can do.”

The prince swore he’d never met anyone so clever yet foolish. Sokka had only left an hour ago to explore the forest near the beach house. Having completed firebending lessons with Aang for the day, Zuko had gone off to see if Sokka wanted any company. Nothing could have prepared him for what he ultimately found.

“You wanna tell me how this even happened?”

“I kinda... fell off a tree.”

A brief inspection confirmed Sokka was restrained, having somehow managed to get tangled up in vines. Several were wrapped around his limbs, with a few hugging his midsection as well. 

“Why were you even... nevermind.”

At the very least, he didn’t appear to be hurt. 

The vines kept him elevated a few feet off the ground, but not so high that Zuko couldn’t reach. The prince might’ve helped him immediately, too, if only the universe weren’t determined to mock him.

“Ggh!” Sokka suddenly flinched.

“What’s wrong?” Zuko froze, instantly concerned. He grew confused, however, when Sokka started squirming.

“I think th-there’s s-something on my leHEHEG!”

That was when Zuko understood.

Though Sokka couldn’t turn to see what was happening, he was definitely _feeling_ something. An intense itch had begun on his calf, only to creep lower with every passing second.

“A b-bug! It’s gohohotta be ahaha bug!” he realized, then recognized with mounting dread where it was headed. “Nonononono-!” he started to panic, before letting out a screech when the worst finally hit.

His sandal. _It was in his sandal._ He should’ve known Fire Nation fashion would betray him. While his Water Tribe boots might have protected him, the sandals he was wearing offered no such thing.

“G-GeHET it ohoHOUT!” he shouted at Zuko, who’d been oddly silent for the past few moments. Sokka tried to shake his leg, but there was no dislodging the bug on his own.

A steady hand soon grabbed hold of his ankle as another undid the straps of his shoe.

“It’s just a beetle worm. They’re completely harmless.” 

Even so, Zuko swiped it off. 

Sokka sagged in relief.

“They’re... itchy... and just plain gross.”

“Is that why you were freaking out?”

“Me? Freaking out? Psssh... Don’t be silly. I’m just not a fan of things crawling on me.”

When Zuko didn’t reply, Sokka assumed he was satisfied... until he felt scratching on the sole of his foot.

“WhaHAT AHARE YOHOU DOHOHOING?!” he practically shrieked.

“You said it itched,” Zuko answered dryly.

With that simple statement, Sokka knew he was doomed.

“STOHOP! IT DOHOHOESN’T IHIHITCH AHAHANYMOHOHORE!”

“Really? Then why are you being so loud?”

Sokka could have screamed. _Had Zuko been possessed?_ He’d never imagined the prince capable of anything like this.

“OHOKAY!” he gave in. “OKAHAHAY! _IT TICKLES!”_ The confession sent heat rushing to his face.

“Good to know,” Zuko smirked, getting a few final scribbles in before returning his sandal.

“Would you... please get me... down already?” Sokka panted, visibly embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, I will,” Zuko promised. “But there’s just one more thing I have to do.”

Hearing footsteps, Sokka snapped to attention, noticing Zuko now stood near his head. 

“Do you remember what you said last time?” Zuko's fingers traced over his armbands. 

“...Don’t.” Sokka _did_ remember. He remembered quite clearly. “Seriously, don’t.” The prince’s touch trailed downwards. “Z-Zuko! C’mohon!” Sokka’s biceps tensed. He strained desperately to get away, but didn’t have enough slack.

“You can’t lower your arms at all, can you?”

Sokka never thought Zuko could sound so smug. 

To make matters worse, Sokka’s tunic was sleeveless, meaning his underarms were completely exposed. Once again, he cursed the Fire Nation's clothing.

“Any last words?” Zuko offered with a smile.

“...Have mercy?”

Zuko did not have mercy. Sokka was pretty sure he’d been more merciful as an enemy. The angry jerk with a ponytail had never tortured him, at least, yet his unfairly attractive teammate seemed to have no qualms about it.

“EHEHEHEVIL! THIHIHIS IS SOHOHO EHEHEHEVIL!” Sokka thrashed as much as he could.

“Looks like you were right,” Zuko chuckled to himself. “You’re already going crazy, and I’m not even tickling that hard.”

It was true. Zuko wasn’t digging in. What he lacked in ferocity, however, he made up for in other ways. His fingers danced teasingly against Sokka’s bare hollows, too quick to track and too sporadic to predict.

“ZUKOHOHO! ENOHOHOUGH AHAHALREHEADY!” Sokka frantically shook his head. Eventually, his hair fell out of its top knot, coming loose to drape across the sides of his face.

_“Oh...”_ Zuko reacted quietly, so quietly that Sokka missed it. However, there was no missing the moment the tickling stopped.

_“Spirits. Please tell me you’re done,”_ Sokka gasped.

“Uh... sure.” Zuko forced his mouth to work. “Yeah, sure. I’ll just start burning the... um... vines.”

Within a few minutes, Sokka was back on solid ground, and the pair began their walk back to the beach house. Both adamantly avoided the other’s gaze, Sokka out of humiliation, and Zuko... for reasons he wasn’t quite ready to admit.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are all very much appreciated!
> 
> More tickle fics including this one are available on my tumblr, [tickly-tufts](https://tickly-tufts.tumblr.com/masterlist)!


End file.
